1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications devices and in particular to communications devices that communicate broadband around a network using mains power lines, and also to devices that monitor energy consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Powerline broadband modems are currently used for communicating broadband around a network using powerlines as the connecting medium. The connection points for this network (electrical sockets) are commonly found to contain a large collection of electrical equipment (for example, a media center in their living room).
A large benefit of using a pass-through design is that the modem does not remove one of the user's mains power supply sockets. There is also an increasing need to monitor energy usage, including domestic energy usage, in light of rapidly increasing energy costs, and concerns over the environmental impact of energy consumption. Smart meters have been developed, which operate typically by being inserted between the mains supply and the device(s) to be monitored. There are only a limited number of mains sockets available in a building, and therefore it would be advantageous to reduce the need for available sockets. It is therefore an aim of the present invention to address the above issues.